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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why does Zlata believe it is so important for the Freedom Writers to overcome their circumstances?

2. Who are the "Dream Team Moms"?

3. What are the only kind of heroes one 15-year-old is familiar with before reading about Anne Frank?

4. Why does one student apologize in Diary 50?

5. What does a student who is a "goodie two shoes" do when shopping with her parents?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who is Miep Gies?

2. Why are some students not allowed to go to Medieval Times?

3. What do the students do when they play the peanut game?

4. Why does a student decide 'odd' is not a three-letter word, but a seven-letter word?

5. Why does Renee Firestone's story affect one student?

6. What happens to a Croatian boy named Tony?

7. Describe what happens when a student is in a liquor store buying candy?

8. Why is the summer before the sophomore year the worst ever for one student?

9. Why is Gruwell frustrated at the beginning of the semester in the spring of 1995?

10. Why does a student transfer from the Distinguished Scholars program to Gruwell's class?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In Diary 69, a student compares his/her neighborhood to "The Brady Bunch". Write about what life is like for the Brady Bunch. Compare the lives portrayed on the television show to the life this student leads. How are the neighborhoods different? How are their lives different? Is there anything about their lives that is the same?

Essay Topic 2

What does it mean "World peace is only a dream because people won't allow themselves and others around them to simply be peanuts"? Explain the meaning of the phrase, and why a student compares people to peanuts. How do peanuts compare to people? What happens if people are allowed to be peanuts? What does people living in harmony have to do with the appearance of peanuts?

Essay Topic 3

Violence is an everyday occurrence for the Freedom Writers in their homes and neighborhoods. Write about the violence they see everyday. How does this violence affect the students? How does this violence affect their families or friends? How does writing the diaries help the students learn to deal with the violence in their lives? Does Gruwell help the students to break this cycle of violence?

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